A Second Chance
by Elliriel Galadh-Lithe
Summary: An alternate ending to TSSLBT, SM's short novella on Bree Tanner. Warning: must have read SM's novella first! canon pairings, T for now but that may change
1. Chapter 1 Second Chances

**This plot bunny has been sitting in my head since I read "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" by SM... if you have not read it yet, stop right now and go over to www dot breetanner dot com and read it online for free right now. This definitely has spoilers, and you will likely not understand what is happening here if you have not read that first!**

**Okay, you're back? read on then, and let me know what you think! Yes, I'm still working on Morning Star, but just had to get this out of my head and through my fingers. If I get enough positive response, I'll keep it going...**

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**Chapter One Second Chances**

"_Felix?" Jane said lazily._

"_Wait," the mind reader said loudly._

_He turned to Carlisle and spoke quickly. "We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwilling to learn. She didn't know what she was doing."_

"_Of course," Carlisle said eagerly, looking at Jane. "We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree."_

_Jane's face looked like she wasn't sure if they were joking, but if they _were_ joking, they were funnier than she'd given them credit for._

_Me, I was touched to the core. These vampires were strangers, but they'd gone out on this dangerous limb for me..._

Was there anything more I could provide Edward to help this argument along in our favor, so that their effort might not be in vain? I wasn't afraid to die – or however it ended for us – but I was curious about these yellow-eyed vampires and what they thought they could offer me. I thought over the brief existence I'd had, and how much in the dark we'd all been kept about the true nature of our kind.

My mind went suddenly to Fred. I wished there was some way to warn him about the world he'd be stepping into, a world full of danger with dirty vampire cops, dodgy politics and secret covens. He was gifted, smart and careful; maybe he'd be fine, they couldn't hurt him if they couldn't see him, right?

"Wait," the redheaded mind reader said again. "This little one... she only ever killed discreetly and cleaned up after herself and others. She's gifted... and she knows of another very gifted newborn... she is the only one who can find him. He needs our help."

"Yours or _ours_?" Jane asked smoothly. "If what you say is true, then Aro, Marcus, and Caius might be interested in them."

"I'm sure they might be," Edward answered mildly. "But I'm also sure that they wouldn't want to be bothered with their training... two wild ones at once in such a confined space?"

Jane shrugged in an oddly exaggerated movement. "They will want to come visit you soon in any event... especially once I tell them that _she_ is still human." She fixed her gaze on the human girl and smiled expectantly.

_Still_ human. So they were going to change the girl. I wondered what they were waiting for.

"The date is set," said the little vampire with the short black hair and the clear voice. "Perhaps we'll come to visit _you_ in a few months."

Jane's smile disappeared like someone had wiped it off. She shrugged without looking at the black-haired vampire, and I got the feeling that as much as she might have hated the human girl, she hated this small vampire ten times as much.

Jane turned back to Carlisle, her mouth set in a thin line but her eyes vacant. "It was nice to meet you, Carlisle – I thought Aro was exaggerating. We will be back _soon_ to evaluate these newborns you feel so strongly about, and to see that you have indeed changed the girl as you promised you would. Your own existence and that of your family will be forfeit if you fail in your... responsibilities."

"I understand," Carlisle answered quietly.

The four black-hooded figures took their leave and vanished back the way they had come, leaving me sitting bewildered and wondering just why it was that I had been spared. I saw Carlisle looking expectantly at the redheaded vampire.

"You'll need to tend to Jacob," the mind reader said quietly. "Jasper and I will take Bree to find her friend and bring them back to our house. Perhaps Rose and Esme can figure out where they're going to stay." He looked down at the girl in his arms. "You're safe now, love. Alice will keep you company while I'm gone, and bring you back to Charlie later. In the meantime, I think she has plans for you." He grinned at her apologetically and kissed her before walking over to Jasper and me.

_Love_. That was it. For some reason, the mind reader had fallen in love with the human girl and considered her his mate. I wasn't sure how that could work, but it wasn't my business to care.

"Hello, Bree. Allow me to formally introduce myself and my brother. My name is Edward Cullen and this is Jasper. Jasper has had considerable experience in... working with newborns. How long have you been a vampire?" Edward spoke quietly, his demeanor one of general curiosity.

"About three months," I answered warily, not sure of the direction this conversation was going.

"You show good control for one so young," Edward commented. "Don't be afraid... you're safe with us now, we won't hurt you unprovoked. I had the sense you wanted to find your friend?"

I hesitated. After all that had happened, I wasn't sure that I should be trusting _any_one, even this coven that for some reason had spared my existence. Jasper was watching me closely, seeming alert for any move I might make. The rest of the coven had begun to move off, returning to the cover of trees.

"I do. But what would you be doing with us? Why should I believe that I'd be better off with you?" I needed to think about what to do, though I wasn't sure that I had any options at this point. Fred, though...

"We can provide you with formal training and insights on what it means to be a vampire, and provide you with options you haven't had previously," Edward answered quietly. "You can then choose to stay with us or move out on your own. As highly talented as your friend is, he's not likely to last long without knowing what's out there, and it seems you both were given very little orientation on your new existence."

This seemed reasonable and valid to me, so I nodded in agreement before looking over to Jasper. He met my eyes and gave me a curt nod as well, releasing me from sitting on the ground. I rose slowly as our gazes remained locked; he was continuing to take no chances and I wished to give him no reason to move on me.

"Fred said that he would wait for me for a day in Vancouver... I can pick up his scent in a place called Riley Park. Can we get there quickly?" I saw a look and a grin pass between the two of them at my question.

"Oh yes, I think we can handle that!" Jasper laughed. Edward laughed with him, and I couldn't help but grin, their laughter was so infectious. Jasper gestured with his hand, and we took off into the trees with Edward leading the way, me running close behind and Jasper bringing up the rear.

Before long we were jumping over a small river into another clearing where stood a large white... mansion, the side facing us mostly glass. I didn't have time to really look more closely at it, as we ran around the side to access a smaller structure, which turned out to be a garage full of vehicles. Edward led us to a silver Volvo and opened the front passenger door, gesturing for me to enter. I hopped in without ceremony as Jasper slid into the back seat behind me, and then Edward was in the driver's seat and pulling out of the garage before I could even turn around.

We sped through the winding forest roads in a flash and were on the open highway before I knew it; while I had certainly ridden in a car before, I had never ridden one driven by a vampire, and it was nearly dizzying to me how fast the car could go under Edward's capable hands. We drove to Seattle in silence, then took the ferry over the Sound and headed up into Canada. I watched the road signs carefully as we approached Vancouver; Riley Park wasn't listed but Queen Elizabeth Park was, and we ended up parking in one of the small lots along Ontario Street and heading toward Riley Park on foot. It was a small area at the intersection of two main streets, and I knew Fred would not have stayed there long, but I could pick up his scent there and trail it to where he would be waiting for us.

As it turned out, I picked up his scent right away and it led us back to Queen Elizabeth Park. I was excited, knowing he was close, but knew I'd have to be careful; he was probably totally on his guard, and having two strange vampires in close proximity to me would only make him more wary.

I suddenly felt the strong wave of revulsion and nausea as I hit a grove of trees surrounding a large body of water and stopped. Edward and Jasper stopped short as well, both of their brows crinkling in distaste. They stayed in place as I walked forward a little.

"Fred? It's okay, these are friends! They're going to help us," I said, looking about but not seeing him anywhere. He didn't answer, and I moved ahead slowly, fighting the disgust that welled up within me until suddenly I felt something grab me and pull me behind a thick tangle of bushes. I looked up to see Fred staring fiercely down at me, before his expression suddenly softened and he hugged me in delight.

"You made it! I didn't think I'd ever see you again," he whispered softly against my hair as he continued hugging me tightly. I clung to him, so happy to see someone familiar after all the strangeness of the past several hours.

"I didn't think I see you, either... I nearly didn't. The yellow-eyes saved me," I answered. He drew away a little, his eyes flicking in the direction of where Jasper and Edward were still standing, then his gaze returned to me curiously. "Another lie of Riley's, Fred. This coven is not our enemy. He's dead, by the way. And so is the woman who created us." Both of Fred's eyebrows climbed toward his hairline at this, and I nodded my affirmation. He looked thoughtful for a time as he checked out my general appearance, then seemed to come to a decision.

"All right, introduce me to our new... friends. It seems we have a lot to discuss," he said cautiously as he led us away from the cover of the bush. I saw that Jasper and Edward had been standing in roughly the same place where I left them but had been looking about them; both sets of eyes tracked to me as Fred and I emerged and I realized that Fred must have dropped his protection so that they could see us clearly.

I clutched Fred's hand and brought him to stand with Jasper and Edward as I made perfunctory introductions between them. Both of them regarded Fred with interest, and Edward offered a friendly smile. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. That's quite a talent you have for keeping yourself hidden."

"It has served me and Bree well these past several months," Fred replied. "Living among so many newborns was rather volatile, though I can't help but wonder if Bree is not bringing me from the frying pan into the fire."

"That's fair enough," Edward answered mildly. "You certainly haven't been given much information to trust up to now. I hope we can change that for you."

"Bree told me that Riley is dead. That changes much already." Fred squeezed my hand tightly, and I squeezed back, looking up at him as he continued, "I'm sure the newborns have largely disbanded by now."

I caught the stricken look in his face as Jasper replied, "You two are the only survivors of that sick excuse for a coven." Fred closed his eyes and winced briefly before opening them again and shooting Jasper a glare.

"What happened?"

"The newborns were unprepared for what they met up with. They lost focus and were killed quickly. Edward had the greatest challenge, killing both Riley and Victoria when they tracked him to the east." Jasper seemed both pleased with the outcome of the larger battle and disappointed that he could not have fought at Edward's side.

"So you admit to killing us all. Where does the _friend_ part part kick in?" Fred held me closer to him, his body tensed. I had the feeling he was prepared to run any second now if he didn't like what he heard, and he meant to take me with him.

"As you can see, we didn't kill all of you." Jasper's smile was thin. "We have no argument with you per se."

"How did Bree survive?" Still tense. I saw Edward eying him carefully, and realized that of course he would know what Fred was thinking.

"She surrendered to Carlisle, and he agreed to spare her if she would stop fighting," Edward answered earnestly. "When the Volturi came, we were able to plead successfully to provide her sanctuary."

Fred's gaze tracked back to me, his eyes wide in question. "Yeah, I'm fuzzy on that point too," I muttered. "But they are definitely more our enemies than the yellow-eyes ever were. The yellow-eyes were only defending themselves. These... Volturi were hoping that we would destroy them."

"So where are they now?"

"They have returned to Italy, though they have threatened to come back in a few months' time," Edward replied. "You have nothing to worry about from them, so long as you do not meet up with them away from us."

"So long as... now why is that, exactly?" Fred frowned at Edward, still holding me to his body tightly.

"They would kill you where you stand because of what you are, what you represent," Edward responded with a grimace. He continued to watch us closely, but also seemed... hopeful. Of what? I saw him spare Jasper a glance, and the two of them locked gazes momentarily, something unspoken passing between them.

"And what would that be?" Fred asked, and I sensed he was ready to just be done with this. I wasn't sure just how I felt about all of this yet, but now that I was reunited with Fred, I didn't plan on ever leaving his side again. He was the one true constant I'd known in my three miserable months as a vampire, beside whom I had always felt the safest. Whichever way he decided now, I'd go with him.

"Those who created you had no interest in you as individuals, only what you could do as a potential army. Collectively speaking, you were given no training, and not taught to follow the most basic of rules in our world, which is not to call attention to our kind. The killing spree that resulted called the attention of the Volturi, and they came to put an end to it, but they were too late. However, they don't usually leave survivors of such a group, and if they run across you outside of our protection they will likely finish the job." Edward returned his earnest gaze to us, and spread his empty hands before him. "Beyond that, we'd like to give you the opportunity to learn what you were not taught, in a safe environment. Bree gave me a lot of good information during our dealing with the Volturi, and I'd like for us to be able to repay the favor."

"You managed to get them to spare my... existence. That is repayment enough, really," I hedged, still sensing Fred's reticence. I noticed now that Jasper was watching Fred closely, a look of concentration on his face.

"No, not really. _I_ don't think so," Edward averred quietly. "Please give us the opportunity to help get you started off on the right foot. You needn't stay with us after that."

"No strings attached? What's in it for you?" Fred's grip on me eased a bit.

"Well, hopefully an ally in the future, should we need it. A friend, at least... I think we have much to offer each other. Beyond that, no expectations," Edward said, and dropped his hands to his sides, glancing at Jasper as he did so. He seemed to be leaving the final decision in our hands.

Fred looked down at me. "What do you think, Bree?"

"I will go wherever you do," I answered slowly. "But their words have rung true so far... we have no reason to doubt them."

"Other than the fact that we don't know them nearly well enough," he growled. "What happened to Diego? Did you see?"

"He wasn't there to meet us. I believe Riley killed him long before... remember that death he described at the hands of our creator?" Fred nodded grimly. "I believe now that he was describing Diego's death." Fred shuddered at that and hugged me tighter. "So many lies, Fred. I think these people offer us truth."

Fred closed his eyes and remained immobile for a long time, before finally letting out a long breath and locking his gaze to mine. "I'm glad you came to find me," he said softly. "I'm sure that we could eventually learn what we needed to in order to survive, and certainly no one could ever find us. But I do have to admit to a certain amount of curiosity to learn more about these people and the Volturi, and I know you have it too, so I will go back with you." He lifted his eyes to Edward's. "We will not lift our guard, however... I am slow to trust anyone after what we've been through. The only one I trust here is Bree. I hope you understand."

Edward nodded solemnly. "I do... more than you know."

Fred let go of me with a huff then, though he kept hold of my hand. "Lead the way."

We made our way back to the Volvo. This time, Jasper rode up front with Edward, while Fred and I sat in the back. We talked quietly as we brought each other up-to-date on our experiences over the last several hours. He was saddened, but not surprised, to learn how quickly our little army had fallen apart at the start; nor was he surprised to learn how we had been deserted by Riley. I described how I had spent the battle looking for Diego and how I had finally realized he was never there; suddenly I realized that I was wailing tearlessly and Fred moved to hold me and try to comfort me. As I settled into his arms, I looked up and caught Edward's worried eyes in the rearview mirror. My eyes slid closed and I allowed myself to quiet down, though I still mourned Diego in silence. Part of me still wished I could follow him in death.

The trip back did not take long, and Esme met us in the garage with an apologetic look on her face. "Carlisle needs you down in La Push," she murmured to Edward, and he quickly took his leave of us and headed out again in the Volvo. Esme turned to Jasper and warned, "Bella is still here with Alice. We need to have a family meeting when Carlisle and Edward return, but in the meantime, perhaps we could take our guests to the cottage and help them settle in." Jasper nodded.

Esme turned next to me. "Welcome back, Bree dear, it's good to see you again. Who is your friend?"

"Esme, this is Fred. Fred, this is Esme Cullen, Carlisle's wife. Carlisle is the head of this coven."

"The term 'coven' is technically correct, but we prefer to think of ourselves as a family, dear. You'll see why, in time. Come, this way," she gestured and we all followed her out of the garage and around the side of the house to the river we had crossed before. We all jumped over it, than ran through the forest for several minutes before stopping in another small clearing where a small white cottage stood. It looked fairly nondescript but recently tended to.

"This has been empty for a long time, but we are starting to make it over for Edward and Bella to have after they get married and return from their honeymoon. That's still a few months away; it should be ideal for you to use now, provided you don't mind that we'll still be working on it for them. If you should decide to stay on with us, there are rooms in the main house that we can let you use once Bella is no longer human."

"Thank you, Esme. This is more than I ever expected." I smiled at her shyly.

"Oh, I'm not done yet," Esme laughed. "Jasper, you and Fred appear to be of a size, can you get him some clothes? and see if Alice can find any clothes for Bree?"

"I can certainly work on that. Have you both fed recently? Do you need to hunt?" Jasper looked back and forth between the two of us as Fred and I met each other's gaze.

"Riley fed us before battle so that we would be strong," Fred said slowly. "I'm still good, but I'm older than Bree."

"I'm good for now, too, thank you," I replied. Jasper nodded and took off back the way we had come. Esme brought us inside the cottage and showed us around. The place was clean and looked comfortable, with running water; suddenly I badly wanted a shower. I would wait until we were alone, though.

Jasper was back shortly with clothing for both of us, for which we thanked him, and then he and Esme left us again to settle in. Esme promised to fetch us as soon as Carlisle and Edward returned and Bella left, so that we could take part in the family meeting.

I took the first shower, reveling in the feel of the scalding water against my skin. The clothes Alice had provided fit well and looked new; I felt like a new person in them and realized that that was fairly apt, as Fred and I would be starting a new life here, no matter whether we chose to join the yellow-eyes or not. Everything was different now.

Fred showered after me and fairly glowed in his new clothes, his blond curly hair shining softly. He grinned at me as we settled in the little living room to relax and talk while waiting for someone to retrieve us, however long that might take. I grinned back, "Hey, you clean up nice!" He laughed.

"So do you, short stuff. I think that's the first decent shower we've both had since we were turned. I might grow to like it here."

"They seem really nice – and friendly, even towards us. I definitely want to know more about them. I'm glad you agreed to come back with them, Fred." I curled up in a corner of the couch, facing him.

"Me too, I just hope we don't regret the decision later. I'm curious to know more about what they think they can offer us." Fred settled back on the couch and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

"Just so you know... Edward is a mind reader," I said. "And Alice has some kind of gift that the Volturi fear as well, I'm not sure what yet. I don't know about the others, I think Jasper might. Bella is the human we were given the scent for... they plan to turn her soon and Edward is planning to marry her."

"Interesting. I wonder what they see in her," Fred mused.

"I don't know. I saw her at the field, and she seemed rather plain and ordinary-looking to me. But Jane's power seemed to have no effect on her..." I trailed off, thinking.

"Jane?" Fred turned his head, peering at me. "What power?"

"Jane is one of the Volturi. She can cause you to feel pain like what you went through when you were turned, though it's all in your mind... she doesn't physically hurt you. She used it on me to get me to answer questions." I shuddered as I remembered. "I don't care to meet up with her again anytime soon."

"But it had no effect on this – Bella?" Fred was frankly curious.

"No... not at all, she didn't even flinch. Jane laughed afterward and said she was just checking, it sounded as though she'd tried it on her in the past."

"Huhn. Well, maybe she's got some talent for that or something... maybe that's why they want her," Fred shrugged and flopped his head back. "Riley knew I had some sort of talent before he brought me to be turned, though I don't think he knew what it was and regretted it afterward. He was never able to get me to do what he wanted, but he was afraid of me too."

"How did he find you, anyway?" I asked. "You don't seem to fit the 'dregs of humanity' profile they usually went for."

"Neither do you," he countered.

"Oh, believe me, I was one step away from selling myself on the streets for food," I answered with a shrug. "I ran away from home and tried to get by, but found I was a lousy thief... Riley snagged me with an offer of a cheeseburger, of all things. What was your hook?"

Fred laughed humourlessly. "I was scoring speed to keep up with my coursework at university. Riley promised me better stuff. He told me he'd been watching me for awhile, and told me I could do better than I was."

"What were you studying at university that made you feel the need for drugs to keep up?" I was mystified; having always been a good student at school, I couldn't ever imagine the need for artificial stimulation. I also felt really bad for him, and for whatever family he'd left behind – surely he'd been loved, and was missed, unlike the rest of us in Riley's unlikely coven.

He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I was in medical school. I wanted to be a doctor... to help people. Not kill them and drink from them to satisfy my thirst..." his voice trailed off, and he became as the stone we were, silent and immobile. I knew our discussion was finished at that point, and flopped back to wait for someone to return to us.

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**So, hooked yet? What did you like? Hate? Do you want it to continue? I won't add to it unless I get some reviews...**

**~Kaz**


	2. Chapter 2 Hunting 101

**I just want to say that I am truly honored and gratified at the positive response the first chapter of this story received, and so I will be continuing it, alternating updates with my other story, _Morning Star_. Thank you everyone! **

**I hope you continue to enjoy where this story takes us... it's pretty exciting when the characters take up residence in your head and tell you how they want things to go! I experienced this phenomenon once before with a story I was writing and it was definitely a headrush. It certainly makes the writing fly... :)**

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**Chapter Two Hunting 101**

Jasper returned a few hours later, looking apologetic, with a cell phone for each of us. "We want you to feel like you've always got a connection to us, that you never have to 'go it alone' at any point," he explained as he showed us the numbers pre-programmed into the phones; each member of the Cullen family had their own number, except for Bella. I wondered why that was, but didn't ask.

"It's going to be a few hours yet," Jasper said with a grimace. "Bella is still with Alice, though she'll be leaving soon, and Carlisle and Edward are still down in La Push. I thought perhaps we should take a practice hunt, before you get really thirsty, seeing as we're changing the food supply up a bit on you."

"Oh?" Fred frowned, frankly curious. "How's that?"

"Our family doesn't hunt humans," answered Jasper, meeting Fred's gaze levelly. I felt a calm settle over the room despite the tension inherent in the conversation. "We hunt animals instead... it's why our eyes are yellow instead of red. Carlisle introduced us to this way of life when we joined his family some time ago... and he's been following it for centuries... he could not reconcile the idea of losing his humanity by taking other human lives. It's an adjustment, but one that we make gladly, because there are many benefits to it."

Fred stared at Jasper as if he'd grown extra heads, and I'm sure my expression was much the same. "What benefits might those be? Are you stronger? More satisfied?"

Jasper regarded his feet as he shook his head. "No. The benefits have more to do with how you regard the world at large... and each other. You retain your memory better of what it means to be human. The bonds between you and your family members is stronger. Covens larger than two or three of red-eyes tend to tear themselves apart because the members are so egocentric, they have no capacity for love and cooperation between family members. We are... eight, and about to become ten. That is unheard of... even the Denali coven only numbers five at the moment. The Volturi coven is large only because of their military nature."

Fred frowned. "Well, that sounds... cozy... but how is that of benefit? I don't understand."

Jasper nodded. "Let me reduce the equation for you. Cooperation. _Trust_. Being able to work together toward a common goal without losing focus and tearing each other apart. Knowing that your team members truly have your back. Does that ring any bells for you?"

"And drinking the blood of animals does all that for you?" Fred's brow was still crinkled as he struggled to assimilate this information, even as I nodded beside him. I had seen all that had gone wrong on that battlefield, and in the time leading up to it. We had not been able to trust in each other, and our leader had deserted us in battle. We had lost our humanity, and all of our human values.

"Bree's getting it," Jasper commented. "Yes... you begin to value human life more. What it stands for. Morals and ethics. It gives you back your conscience. That's hard to explain, I know... and it's something I still struggle with, having spent so much time as a 'classic' vampire." His hands performed air quotes as he smiled. "Our private joke is that we're vegetarians because we have this alternate food supply that gives us a different view of our existence. But it's real, and it's valid, and it's worth working towards. Even if you 'slip up' now and again." He looked a little sheepish with this last admission, and I wondered if his last 'slip up' had happened recently.

"Soooo... what's on the menu?" I grinned, speaking for the first time. I figured Fred would need some time to let this absorb, but it all made sense to me after what I'd seen. I doubted that I would have gotten a second chance had Edward and Carlisle and the rest of the Cullens not had that sense of humanity about them, and if this could be afforded by a change in diet then I was all for it.

"Elk is available locally, we can find other species the further out we range," Jasper answered with a smirk. "I figured we'd keep it simple the first time."

"All right, let's do this," Fred answered with a shrug. I was glad he was willing to give this a go, and beamed at him as he looked down at me. He scooped me up in a bear hug, then tossed me over his shoulder playfully as we headed out the door.

"Hey! Put me down!" I yelled, pretending to be offended, as I smacked uselessly at his broad back. He laughed and took off at a dead run behind Jasper, and all I could do was grab at his belt loops and hang on, giggling.

Several minutes later, we stopped while still within a thick stand of trees. Jasper held a finger to his lips as Fred dropped me to my feet, and we stood-stock still as we gave control over to our senses of smell and hearing. I could sense them almost immediately: six elk in all, two bucks and four doe grazing a mere sixty paces east of us in a small clearing next to a small stream. Their scent was not particularly appealing, but I was game to try. I dropped into a crouch and moved off in their direction cautiously, noting in my peripheral vision that Fred had joined me in the hunt while Jasper stood back, watching.

When we were almost upon them, Fred and I split up to attack at separate angles so as to confuse the beasts; it was a tactic we had learned in our hunting parties against the humans. The strategy was still sound, and we each took down our first kill with no trouble whatsoever. The blood was tangy, almost bitter, but clean, and gone before I knew it. I took down a second and a third kill immediately and drained them both, while Fred polished off the other two. When we were done we stayed by our kills and looked back toward Jasper as he joined us in the clearing.

"Full?" he asked with a smile.

"I think I might slosh upon standing," Fred answered, his own face quirking into a grin. "Poor Bree must be ready to pop."

I rolled my eyes at them both. "How do you want us to clean up, Jasper?"

"Take them into the trees, spread the bodies out over several hundred feet, and cover them with brush and pine needles," Jasper instructed. We nodded and hastened to obey. The chain of life would take care of the rest, we knew. Much simpler, much more natural than how we had had to deal with human carcasses. I could get used to this.

"Come on back to the main house with me," Jasper said when we were finished. "Bella's gone by now, and you can stay with us while we wait for Carlisle and Edward to get back." We followed him back to the white mansion I had seen only briefly before, crossing the back yard and entering through the kitchen at the back of the house.

Alice greeted us brightly when we walked into the living room. "Carlisle and Edward are on their way back and should be here shortly. Come sit and get comfy!" She took a hand of each of us and led us to one of the couches, pulling us down to sit near one end before scooting over to the other end to sit on Jasper's lap. I noticed that Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie were already seated on the other couch. My eyes flicked about the room as I took in my surroundings and I noticed Fred taking stock surreptitiously as well.

"How was your first hunt?" Esme asked kindly, smiling softly at both of us. We nodded to her and murmured words of satisfaction. She then held out her arms to me, beckoning. "Come here, little one. May I brush out your hair?" I just looked at her, and I'm sure my shock and surprise registered with her. I had not heard words strung together like that in _ages_. "It's all right, sweetheart, I won't bite, I promise. I just want to take some of the forest out of your hair." I raised my hand to my head self-consciously and realized that there were indeed bits of twigs and needles caught in my hair; without a word I half-rose and scooted down to sit on the floor with my back between her knees.

She was still brushing through my hair – and oh, it felt so good – when Carlisle and Edward came through the front door not long after. Carlisle smiled indulgently at his wife and dropped into a chair while Edward walked back to the glass wall, facing out to look at the forest beyond the river.

"Jacob is healing well," Carlisle announced. "I've set him up with a morphine drip and he is resting comfortably. It should only be a matter of days before he is back on his feet, though full recovery will still take several weeks."

"Good," Emmett commented. "He was a good comrade-in-arms, fleabag or no." I could hear Edward's harsh laugh from the back of the room.

Jasper spoke up. "The wolves fought well and admirably." His eyes flicked to Carlisle's. "On another note, Fred and Bree have settled in and successfully completed their first hunt. I have to say I am nothing but impressed with them so far. Both display excellent control for being so new to this life."

"Good to hear," Carlisle smiled wearily. "I'm sure you two have questions, as do we. Now is the time to ask and answer them." Fred and I exchanged a look; it made sense that he would be the one to ask the questions for us.

Fred took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "I'm still kind of wrapping my head around the philosophy behind the 'vegetarian' diet that Jasper described. He says that this allows you to live as families... and you actually live among the humans and interact with them, yes?"

"Yes, we do. I'm a doctor at the hospital in Forks, and Edward and Alice just recently graduated from Forks High School. Jasper, Rose, and Emmett graduated last year and are in college now."

"How long have you been here? Are you all local to this area?" Fred's gaze moved to each of the yellow-eyes in turn as he asked this question.

"Forks? Only about three years. We're usually able to stay in one area for only eight to ten years before we must move on so the humans don't get suspicious about the fact that we never age." Carlisle shifted slightly, leaning forward to capture our attention. "We come from all different times and backgrounds, and we've been to many different places around the world. This area is perhaps our favorite though, since it allows us to spend more time out and about during the day due to the constantly overcast skies."

"How long have you all been together?" I asked in awe. I couldn't help myself. "And how did you all find each other?"

Carlisle smiled softly at me. "I was alone for a _very_, very long time. Edward joined me in 1918, and Esme a couple of years later. Rosalie joined us in 1933, and Emmett a couple years after that. Jasper and Alice joined us in the mid-1960s." Carlisle looked at each family member in turn with a tender smile as my jaw dropped with the years he'd mentioned. "As for finding each other, well... I sired Edward, Esme, and Rosalie after finding each of them close to death. Something about each one of them touched me," he tapped his chest, "and I couldn't bear to let them die... Rosalie found Emmett and brought him to me to turn. Alice and Jasper found us... she had found Jasper already and was just drawn to us somehow. I think we were somehow fated to be a family."

"And you've followed this lifestyle since the beginning?" Fred asked. Carlisle nodded. "So you've been doing this a long time. Does the bloodlust get easier to deal with over time?"

"Yes and no. You're still newborns, and so yes, definitely your general control over your thirst will improve with time. Animal blood is not as satisfying as human blood, as I'm sure Jasper may have mentioned, and so in times of weakness you may be tempted... nearly all of us have 'slipped' at one point or another. But if you remain committed to our lifestyle, you see over time that the benefits far outweigh the... discomfort." I noticed that all of the yellow-eyes were enthusiastically nodding at this, but Fred looked uneasy. Carlisle noticed, too. "What's wrong?"

"I can't help but think that this sounds awfully like what a religious leader would be spouting at us to get us to join his cult. And I'm sorry... I'm just a little gunshy after what we've just been through with Riley."

"No need to be sorry. Very understandable under the circumstances. And.." Carlisle paused briefly and smiled as I heard Edward chuckling from the window. "I _am_ the son of a minister. But I swear that I'm not trying to coerce you into anything."

"He's not," added Rosalie. "We all have free will and we remain with this family because we choose to. Edward over there actually left for several years and came back seeking the peace of mind this lifestyle gives you. I'm probably the most selfish of us all, and even I get why this is such a big deal." Edward coughed suspiciously, rolling his eyes, but she ignored him. "You don't have to be a monster, you can open yourself up to other possibilities. You can open yourself up to love." She smiled at Emmett, who grinned back at her.

Fred nodded slowly, his face thoughtful. "So we do really have a choice." The yellow-eyes all murmured assent. "Well... if we were to join you, how would you see us fitting into the family dynamic?"

"That's a very good question, and a lot would depend on _you_. What you were doing before you were turned, and what you'd like to see yourself doing in the future. And of course, how you fit in with everyone who's already part of this family." Carlisle looked thoughtfully at me. "Bree, you were what, fifteen years old? You should definitely get the chance to finish your basic education. We'd likely need to send you up to Alaska for that, though, to the Denali coven."

I was taken aback at this. "Why?"

"Well, because you might be recognized if we enrolled you at Forks High. It hasn't been that long, I'm sure your parents have been frantic looking for you and they've likely circulated your picture."

"I – I'm not local." I stammered. "I came down from Alberta, Canada when I ran away, I was actually headed for California."

"What made you run away?" Esme asked gently, her hands still in my hair. I drew away carefully and pulled my knees up into my chest, hugging them. This story was hard to tell, even though I felt so far removed from my human roots, because it reminded me of how alone I really was. It was the one clear human memory I had. I knew nothing of a family built around love.

"Ever since my earliest memories, my father would beat up my mother time and time again, but she wouldn't leave him. She said that he really loved her and didn't mean it and even if we went away for awhile we kept coming back and she kept forgiving him. I don't remember much of it, but I know things'd be really good for awhile and then it would start all over again. He never touched me, it was always her." I stopped and looked around, noting everyone's eyes on me. Edward had moved away from the window to perch on the edge of the couch by Jasper and was watching me closely. I swallowed hard and went on. "One day, I came home from school and they were arguing really loudly in the kitchen. He'd been drinking and he was already starting to strike out at her, and suddenly – I'd just had _enough_. I'd had a bad day at school, and I wasn't thinking clearly... I – I got in the middle of it, trying to break it up, and he hauled off and backhanded me across the room and I hit my head against some cabinets."

I paused again with a wince, finding myself breathing hard. Fred was looking at me sorrowfully. I closed my eyes to block everyone out, as I could no longer bear to see their reactions. "Mom was cowering in a corner crying, she didn't even come to check me out to see if I was okay. My father stood over me and spit on me as I wiped the blood off my jaw, and I saw he was going to kick me with his work boot. I didn't even think twice... I swiped his legs out from under him with my backpack and took off. I never looked back and no one came after me. Luckily I had some money on me and I was able to cross into the States before it ran out. I figured they could never catch up to me then and I could go look for a job or something in California."

I felt Esme reach forward and draw me back against her, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me gently. I resisted at first, but gave in as she started to murmur reassurances to me quietly. I broke down and buried my head in her neck, trying to regain control of my unnecessary breathing.

From where I sat, I could hear Carlisle sigh deeply. "I'm so sorry, Bree. I hope you'll let us show you what a family is really supposed to be about." He shifted in his seat. "Fred, what about you?"

Fred hesitated, clearly affected by my story. "Well, I'm local in the sense that I was attending university in the area, but I'm Canadian as well... from Ontario. I'm sure no one's been looking for me, either... I pretty much severed all of my ties to home when I left to come here for school," he finally replied bitterly. I was surprised at his tone, though I did not look up. Fred and I had never talked about our pasts.

"Why? What happened?" Esme could sense another miserable family story, which seemed to pain her deeply. She had me sit up and turn around again so that she could continue to brush my hair, and I saw that Fred now wore a deep scowl. Jasper was watching him closely, and I saw him flick his eyes in Edward's direction, who was also watching Fred with an odd look on his face.

"I'm really not ready to share that now." His tone was clipped. "Trust me when I say that it's not a concern of yours, and it will not affect how I interact with you all."

"I don't know," Esme replied softly. "You seem pretty angry about it." Fred merely shrugged and rolled his eyes. Carlisle was about to say more to him when Alice suddenly stiffened and cried out in alarm.

"Edward!" We all looked up to see Alice staring straight ahead, her face contorted in pain. Edward stood up abruptly, his face wearing a similar expression, and ran out of the front door without a word.

"What's going on, Alice?" Carlisle asked gently as Jasper rubbed her arms soothingly.

"It's Bella," she answered, sounding grief-stricken. "She just left La Push and she's on the side of the road, crying so hard..." her voice trailed off.

"Is Jacob all right?" Carlisle asked in alarm, rising quickly and pulling his cell phone from his pocket. At Alice's shrug, he hit a number on the phone and greeted whoever answered politely before asking if everything was all right in La Push. He listened for several minutes, then thanked the person quietly and hung up.

"He's fine," he intoned as he sat back down gracefully and rubbed his face in his hands. "Apparently Bella had a very difficult conversation with him and it's upset both of them. Edward's going to her now."

The silence in the room was heavy for several minutes, finally broken by Esme as she resumed brushing out my hair gently, counting softly to herself. My eyes trailed to Fred's on the opposite couch and he looked back to me. We had a lot to think about. This coven of vampires obviously cared for each other in a way neither of us had seen up to now and seemed poised to extend that regard to us. Could we – should we throw in our lot with them? or was what they were offering to us too foreign to accept?

~xXx~xXx~

**Esme's such a mother-figure, and it looks as though she's taken a shine to our Bree. Fred's got some kind of dark secret there, though I'm sure Edward already knows what it is...**

**Obviously it's my aim to have them join with the Cullens, but I think you can see why it wouldn't be an instantaneous decision for them... what do you think would help tip the scales?**

**Reviews rock my world :)**


	3. Chapter 3 Alliances

**I couldn't help myself... I had to update this again before I could go back to _Morning Star_. It was a moral imperative... the characters ganged up on me and would not leave me be :)**

**I should mention of course, that none of these characters, nor this world they inhabit, belong to me, and I am not doing this for profit. I would only hope that SM et al get that by now...**

**I do want to call your attention to a cause I recently became involved with. A very brave woman is working to call attention and support for the issues of depression and mental health awareness. Please visit her website at www(dot)emscharitykiss(dot)com for more info on her story and how you can help, including a petition to Ellen DeGeneres.**

**And now... more story... **

~xXx~xXx~

**Chapter Three Alliances**

Night had descended, and it was evident that Edward wasn't going to return any time soon. Carlisle had wisely tabled the discussion for now to give us some time to think all of it over. As the yellow-eyes all began to drift off toward various solitary pursuits, Fred stood up and beckoned me to follow him toward the back door.

"Let's go for a walk, short stuff." I nodded as I jumped to my feet. As we moved to the door, I realized that Fred had raised his shield for our privacy and gave him a funny look. "What?"

I shrugged self-consciously and looked away. "Nothing, really – I just realized that that's the first time you've felt the need to do that since we got here. I get the feeling you're starting to trust them even as you say you don't."

He acknowledged that with a thoughtful nod as we headed outside. We crossed the back yard and jumped over the river, then climbed into the trees and sat to talk.

"I can't say that I'm all gung ho yet, Bree. I'm one of those people who has to see it in order to believe, especially after the way Riley lied to us about everything. I don't think it's ever going to be easy for me to trust again. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. But..." he hesitated. "I know that you believe them. And that says a lot to me."

I pursed my lips, nodding. "I know that they have some dangerous enemies, but I've seen them in action and I believe in what they're saying. They didn't have to save my... existence when the Volturi were ready to destroy me, but they did it, despite the risk." I reached forward and took his hands, locking his gaze with mine. "All that aside – the bottom line, Fred, is _you_ are the only one that _I_ really fully trust now that Diego's gone. You kept me safe from the beginning and you waited for me when I went off to find him; you're my only constant in all of this mess. I'm going to stick with you, go wherever you go, whatever you decide."

Fred smiled and took back one hand so that he could ruffle my hair in an oddly affectionate gesture. "You know, for having had such a miserable childhood, you've got a good head on those shoulders, short stuff. Being able to hang in there like that... some might even say that's a gift."

I huffed. "I wouldn't call it a gift. More like a coping mechanism." I stopped, remembering. "Edward said I had a gift, though, now that you mention it. I should ask him what he meant by that."

"Perhaps you should." He recaptured my hand and squeezed both of my hands in his. "Well, _bottom line_... I believe you and for you I'm willing to try it their way, join the family. I do reserve the right to snatch you away if I ever feel we're in any danger though. Deal?"

"Deal."

We grinned at each other, and he added, "You know, it kind of feels like you and I are family already. You're like the little sister I never had, and I always felt like the 'Big Brother Protector' when you would crawl behind me for my shield wherever we were. I'd like to think we'll always have that, no matter where we end up."

I cocked my head at his declaration, not quite sure how to interpret it. "Really? Do you see us – _together_ at some point?"

Fred's eyes widened slightly. "Well, not in the sense that you mean by that word. Just – that I hope we always have this bond, that we'd be there for each other." He regarded me earnestly. "I know you don't have any experience with that, but I do. I left behind a younger brother. We were very close, I would have done anything for him."

I sensed a lot of sadness behind that statement and probed gently, "What happened, Fred?" He withdrew from me swiftly and dropped his gaze, shaking his head.

"I – I can't.." his voice trailed off and he sat still, a beautiful stone statue etched in sorrow and regret. I immediately felt bad and leaned forward to grasp his hands again, putting myself directly into his field of vision.

"I'm sorry, Fred. It's okay, you don't need to tell me. But I _am_ here for you." I squeezed his hands, looking for some reaction from him, and was gratified to feel him squeeze back as his eyes focused on me again.

"Thanks, _sis_." He laughed as he emphasized the term, then stopped and sighed. "The thing is, I _do_ need to tell you. Some day. I just – I just can't do it now." He nodded to the ground with a flourish, indicating that we should head back. We hopped down from our perch and started back to the house. He held my hand as we leapt over the river again and kept it in his grasp all the way back to the house. He hesitated at the door and looked down at me with a smile.

"Ready?" I nodded, and I could feel him drop his shield as he opened the door and pulled me through into the living room. "Hello, everyone. We have an announcement," he called quietly. Volume wasn't important here. There were no huge fights going on or any other sources of loud noises such as we were used to in Riley's coven of newborns.

The yellow-eyes all gathered back together in the living room at his statement, and waited expectantly. I noticed Jasper watching us closely with a faintly puzzled look on his face; Alice beside him was grinning with excitement.

Fred stood tall and looked at each vampire in turn as he said, "Bree and I have been talking things over and we've decided to formally commit to this, to join your family. I can't say that I don't have reservations about this, and I can't say we'll sit there and take it like sheep after what we've been through, but we're going to give it a go."

Emmett crowed happily. "Well, hell, all right!" He leaped forward and bumped fists with a very surprised Fred. "I got me a new video game partner! And now we'll have _two_ hellfire pixies around here!" He picked me up and swung me around, then hugged me tightly before setting me back on my feet.

Carlisle and Esme stepped up together as we stood still reeling from Emmett's enthusiastic welcome and gathered us both in for a hug. "Welcome to our family," said Carlisle quietly as Esme added, "If there's anything I can do to make this transition easier for you, you have only to ask." They then dropped back, beaming, as the rest of the family crowded in. _Family_. _Our_ family. The words had such a good feel to them, it made me ache to feel a true connection to these people. I hoped that would come in time.

Alice was still grinning as she hugged us both fervently. "I'm so happy you decided to do this! Bree and Bella and I are going to be the _best_ of friends. And Fred, you won't regret this, I promise!"

Rosalie was more reserved but nevertheless warm in her greeting. "Welcome to the family. I'm sorry for the circumstances that brought you to us, but I think you'll both fit right in. Jasper, don't you think that Fred would make a good Hale?"

Jasper looked at her with surprise, then eyed Fred sharply. "We could make a case for that, yes. Especially once his eyes change color." His eyes flicked to me. "And of course your new last name will be Cullen. I'll arrange for the paperwork to be drawn up immediately."

"Paperwork?" I was confused.

"Yes, you'll find that in order for us to interact in the humans' world we have to have certain paperwork in order. For instance, your adoption papers and Fred's driver's license. We need to register you for school in the fall – you should be ready by then, based on what I've seen so far – and if Fred would like to get back into college we have to create a paper trail for him."

"So... falsified documents?" Fred asked slowly, cocking an eyebrow at Jasper. "Because we can no longer be who we were?" he guessed.

"Yes... a necessary legal fiction. The people you were are dead now to the human world, or rather the identities you had are, so we create new ones for you. We each have a part to play when we are out in the world. You will quickly find that here in our home is the only place we are free to truly be ourselves."

"It must be incredibly difficult to be in such close contact with humans every day, and not want to eat them. How do you manage?" Fred asked, his eyes squeezing shut as he winced. I reached for my own throat as he said that; even the thought of mingling with the humans on a regular basis made it burn.

"We rise above our basic natures. With practice, it becomes mind over matter," Carlisle answered "That's hard for you imagine now as newborns, but the terrible thirst does eventually recede and you are able to focus on other things. It helps to have a purpose, something to focus on."

As he spoke, Alice's eyes grew wide, and she became even more excited than she was already, if that was even possible. She grabbed Jasper and pulled him into an adjoining room briefly.

When Jasper returned to the room alone a few minutes later, he was smiling indulgently and walked right up to us. "Let's go out for a bit. Edward's on his way back with Bella, and I don't think you're quite ready to face her yet."

We left by way of the front door this time with Jasper. Alice was sitting on the bottom step of the porch waiting for Edward and Bella to arrive, nearly vibrating with excitement. Jasper kissed her good-bye affectionately before we walked off into the woods.

"There's going to be a wedding in mid-August," he said casually as we walked along. "Alice saw Bella giving her permission to arrange it."

"So Alice sees what's about to happen?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, she sees what's going to happen when someone decides on a course of action. Apparently Bella decided this when she got up this morning, and now she's on her way here to discuss the details with Alice. It should be quite the event, Alice doesn't do things halfway," Jasper chuckled.

"Are there going to be a lot of humans present?" wondered Fred, as he picked some wildflowers and starting to weave the stems together.

"It's highly likely. We have no time to waste in getting you prepared to deal with them." Jasper led us along the border between safe hunting territory and more questionable areas, pointing out landmarks to guide us should we be hunting alone so that we would not be likely to run into humans. He warned us to always check for any evidence of humans about before giving ourselves over to the hunt.

We went on a short hunt after that to top ourselves off in case Bella was still there when we returned to the house. Jasper had decided that we wouldn't be able to hide from her much longer in any event, and as long as the whole family was available to protect her we should introduce ourselves to her as part of the family now.

When we got back, I with a crown of wildflowers in my hair that Fred had fashioned for me, Fred and Jasper holding similar garlands for the other women, it was to complete yet organized chaos. Alice had the household of vampires engaged in various planning activities as she stood over a computer screen typing furiously. Jasper went over to her, grinning, and enveloped her in a hug from behind, kissing the back of her neck as he did so. "Where are Edward and Bella?"

"Oh, I sent them off to play! I've got so much to do to get ready for this wedding!" she answered distractedly. "Oh Bree and Fred, I'd like you to be in the wedding party. You two are part of the family now, so you're obligated! Bree, come help me look at bridesmaid dresses online. Fred, you need to have Carlisle measure you for a tux, he's ordering them this afternoon. Jasper, you need to take pictures of these two and get their paperwork started!"

That girl really knew how to make one's head spin. I looked resignedly at Fred, rolling my eyes and he smirked back before we parted ways. For the rest of the day I was caught in Alice's thrall as she reviewed dress styles, flowers, invitations and guest books, decorations and menus with Rosalie and Esme. I had never been involved in a wedding before, neither as vampire nor human, and the level of detail that Alice was putting into this undertaking was just staggering to me.

I didn't think it was possible for a vampire to be exhausted, but I definitely felt the need for a little rest and relaxation when Edward came home alone for a brief visit that evening. He welcomed Fred and me warmly to the family and answered some questions Fred had about the battle Victoria and Riley had forced on us while I pulled out one of the many video games the Cullens owned and set it up for us to play.

Edward accepted my challenge with a grin, and I'm sure he felt confident of a win by reading my mind, but I wasn't about to make it so easy for him. Playing these games was one of those things I didn't actively need to use my mind for, so I just dissociated from it a bit as we started playing and thought about random things. I noticed his smile tighten and then begin to slip off his face as the game continued and he began to fall behind in the point count.

Emmett noticed what was happening after a few minutes and roared his approval. "Bro, it seems you have finally met your match! Are you seriously being beaten by a little girl? You've lost your touch, man!"

I bristled at his characterization of me. "I am not a little girl! I'm fifteen, Emmett!" This only seemed to make him laugh harder, but my hands never faltered on the game controller and Edward hissed as his avatar lost more ground to me.

"Ah, that's the spirit, pixie! Go get 'em!" Emmett guffawed, and I shot him a glare before moving my gaze back to the video screen. I'd have to take him on next, and then maybe I'd get a little respect around here. No, that wasn't fair. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme had given me plenty of validation today, and so had Carlisle and Jasper. It was to _these_ two vampires that I apparently had to prove myself.

Edward seemed to be catching on, as he cursed again, and I grinned as we continued to play. "Oh, Edward, I've been meaning to ask you something." Now was as good a time as any. His eyes tracked to mine in surprise. He didn't seem to know what I was going to ask him.

How are you doing that?" he asked incredulously instead of responding to me. "You're not doing what Alice or one of the others usually do to block me out. All I can pick out is just random thoughts, and none of them are questions for me or strategies for the game we're playing."

"I don't know," I answered honestly. I just know what it is _you_ do, and my mind has figured out a work-around. I can get around Fred's shield, too. What I wanted to ask you, actually, was whether you really did think I have a gift of some kind. You told Jane I did," I shivered as I said her name.

He conceded the game and put down the controller. "I can't tell you... exactly. Eleazar would know how to quantify it, but he's up in Alaska at the moment. All I know is that I could sense – something – and you seemed to be in better control of yourself than we might expect someone your age to be, given the circumstances. You still are... you have Jasper quite perplexed."

I could only stare back at him, unsure of what to say. He regarded me thoughtfully for a time and I'm sure he could hear my mental stuttering, but he did not comment on it.

"Well, one thing at a time, I think," he finally said. "Let's get you acclimated to this lifestyle first, and then I'm sure the rest of the answers will come." He stood up. "I'm heading back out to be with Bella. It was good to spend some time with you, though, Bree. I'm glad we were able to save you and help you find Fred."

"Me too. Thank you for that, again," I answered with a smile. "And tell Bella hello for us. We seem to keep missing each other."

He laughed at that. "I'll tell her. I've yet to tell her that she has a new future sister and brother. One thing at a time. We just told her father today that we're getting married. That was enough excitement for one day!"

I appreciated the fact that he didn't try to touch me as he took his leave – it seemed everyone else had had their hands all over me for one reason or another today, including a thorough physical exam by Carlisle – and his laughter wafted behind him as he disappeared into the night. Fred sat down beside me on the couch and we played the video game for awhile before I surrendered my controller to Emmett and wandered off to read.

I found myself in Carlisle's office and picked out a book at random from his collection before settling down into a comfortable chair to read. The tome I had picked was a medical reference, but that was fine with me, I was hungry for any type of learning to fill the void.

As I sat there reading, my mood declined sharply as memories of searching for Diego surfaced in my thoughts. I realized that this was the first chance I'd really had to be alone and to concentrate on the loss of my friend. With that realization, the sorrow consumed me, and I cried racking, tearless sobs for Diego.

~xXx~xXx~

**Ah, the grieving. Poor Bree had seen so much death without it affecting her as much as the death of Diego, whose death she did not see but she believes was described by Riley. It had to come sometime...**


	4. Chapter 4 Proof

**Ouch... long hiatus *blush***

**It's taken a bit of getting used to, this new school schedule of mine since switching school and formats. I have a paper to write every week, so that has been kind of killing the writing-for-fun bug for me. However, on certain weeks, if I can get all of my reading and assignments out of the way early, I can devote Sunday afternoons to writing... and the fact that I re-joined my once-a-month writing group didn't hurt either.**

**So... I've updated here today. I need to do a chapter of Morning Star now, just to be fair, but hopefully that won't take as long, and then I'll be back to alternating until MS finishes. I'm considering NaNoWriMo again for this November, and have a third story outlined for that (yep, more Twi, should be another interesting perspective that I've not seen done on fanfic around here).**

**Enjoy!**

~xXx~xXx~

**Chapter Four Proof**

I was not alone for very long. Alice gave me some time; time enough for my dry sobs to turn to shuddering, soundless wails and my mind to come back from the dark place it had gone. She stole into the room then and wrapped me in a hug, her own face sorrowful as she held me.

Neither of us spoke for a long time. I eventually calmed down and settled against her as she ran her fingers through my hair soothingly.

"You loved him, didn't you?" she asked softly as she continued to hold me close and stroke my hair.

I took a deep, sighing breath. "Yes. Definitely as a true friend, and it was starting to go deeper... I didn't realize how much until just now. I miss him so much."

"I wish I had known him, since he was so special to you," she said sadly. "Will you tell me about him?"

"Well... we all knew him as Riley's 'right hand man'," I began hesitantly. "He was older than most of us to this life, around eleven months when I started hanging around with him." I went on to tell her about the night with Kevin and the others and the car, how Diego had gone off on his own to hunt and I had followed him. How rather than turning on me, he had accepted me as a hunting companion and had even allowed me the extra kill rather than taking it for himself. How we had spent the rest of that night, including how we had returned to the original 'scene of the crime' and cleaned up after Kevin and the others, then set off to find our coven of vampires after we realized the hiding place had moved. Our discovery of our true reaction to sunlight. Finding out what was really going on between Riley and our creator, and about the surprise meeting with Volturi while we listened from the treetops. Alice pursed her lips tightly as she listened, but said nothing.

My voice started to falter as I told her about how we had fled shortly after that meeting as Riley had been charged by our creator to whip us all into fighting shape within five days, and how we realized Diego had to meet with him alone because of the trail he'd left by ground as we'd tracked Riley to the creator, while I had been in the trees. By the time I was telling her how he'd kissed me before we were forced to part ways, I was shaking again with restrained sobs, realizing then, suddenly, that he _knew_. He _knew_ we'd never see each other again. And yet he'd still protected me as best he could.

Finally, as I began to relate Riley's description of torture at the creator's hands, and my revelation that this is how Diego must have died, I had to keep stopping to take deep, unnecessary breaths to regain enough composure to keep going. "Riley was different after that night," I whispered as I finished. "He watched his friend die in front of him at her hands, and it hardened him. I didn't realize then the significance... but I get it now..." I bowed my head and could say no more.

"I'm so sorry, Bree," Alice said simply after a moment of silence, and hugged me tighter again. I fell apart again briefly in her arms before pulling myself back together as she whispered comfortingly in my ear, over and over, that I was among friends and family now. I need never face the daily fear of being killed by others of my kind again. Finally I pulled away and nodded to her.

"Thank you, Alice. For everything. I'll be okay now." I gave her a small smile. "I feel better, I think, for having gotten it all 'out there.'"

"That was a lot to keep inside," Alice agreed. "Come on, let's go back to the family now, you'll feel better hanging out with all of us." She grinned suddenly. "The boys can't help but make you laugh." Just as she said that, there was a sharp outcry and a muffled thump from the living room. "They're fighting again. In the house. C'mon, this should be fun!" She pulled at my arm sharply and managed to drag me out of the room and back into the flow of family life at the Cullen home.

~xXx~xXx~

Jasper ultimately decided that our first meeting with Bella should be conducted with a thick glass wall between us; so it happened that Fred and I stood outside the big white house in the back yard, Jasper at our side for emotional control, whilst Edward and Bella stood in the living room. We were to practice holding our breath and let Edward translate our side of the conversation. At least if we slipped and drew breath now, we still couldn't smell the human.

Bella appeared to be not afraid in the slightest, pressing up against the glass as her deep brown eyes scanned us both with avid curiosity. "Bree, I'm so glad to see you again! Who's your friend?" I was so taken aback by her forwardness that I could not answer immediately, flicking my gaze to Edward in question.

"I know," he chuckled, rolling his eyes. "It causes me no end of frustration that she has no sense of self-preservation!" He gazed fondly down at her as she rounded on him, annoyed. "Sorry, love, Bree isn't used to humans who show no fear of us."

"That makes two of us," Fred muttered quietly. Jasper glared at him, but Fred had not drawn breath, and he said no more. Fred turned his attention to Edward briefly, then looked back to Bella.

Edward translated, "Fred would like to introduce himself to you. He was not part of the battle in the clearing because he had already decided to part ways with Riley and the rest of the newborn coven. He headed North instead and waited to see if Bree would catch up to him, which she did. He decided to return to learn our ways, and is pleased to meet you." Fred nodded his head to Bella.

Bella pressed her hand against the glass. "Likewise. So, what, are you to become a Cullen too, then?"

"It would appear so," Fred answered through Edward's voice. "And we are told that you are choosing to lose your humanity –?"

"I am _choosing_ to no longer be human," Bella answered, withdrawing from the window with a deep frown furrowing her brow. "My humanity is a separate issue."

I gasped, and Jasper was on me in an instant, restraining my arms behind my back. I didn't struggle and shut my breathing down again immediately, realizing that my momentary lapse could have spelled disaster if not for Jasper's precautions. I looked to Bella in alarm.

"Do you really believe that?" Edward translated for me. "Humanity seems like a pretty foreign concept to me now."

"You didn't know what you were getting into. And the situation you found yourself in didn't exactly lend itself to the human touch." Bella was calm as she pointed this out, almost impassive; it was evident she'd had this discussion before. "I'm not saying it will be effortless to carry off, but I've got a lot going for me in that department, and plenty of support." She looked up and smiled softly at Edward, who gathered her closer and returned her smile.

"Huhn. Think you can pass any of that on? It might come in handy if we're to be dealing with the everyday with humans afoot everywhere," I thought with an eye-roll and listened to Edward pass it on with an air of dry wit, which earned a second eye-roll from me.

Bella fought not to laugh but couldn't keep the grin off her face. "I'll do my best. We have to get you prepped for the wedding."

"Good point, love," Edward put in. "Hopefully by then we'll have moved on from 'human under glass.'" Fred and I could only chuckle and agree.

~xXx~xXx~

Time passed, and we began to acclimate to our new diet. We also began having short encounters in public, always after having fed to lessen temptation, as we registered me for the coming school year and helped Alice with the wedding plans. Jasper started trusting us more to do things without direct supervision, though he was never very far away.

I still had to wear contacts out in public to hide my red eyes; Fred's eyes were turning faster because he was older than I and his were mostly golden with a hint of orange to them. Very pretty, really, and I teased him unmercifully about them. He was considering what he wanted to do about education in the Fall, having decided to put his medical career on hold until he could stand being around humans for a protracted length of time.

We were discussing this one golden summer afternoon as we went off to hunt together with Edward and Carlisle; Jasper was taken some much-needed time to be alone with Alice. Carlisle was describing how long he'd been a vampire before he decided to pursue a medical career and was agreeing with Fred that it would be wise to put it off for a bit. "Edward has a couple of advanced medical degrees himself, and has never been able to tolerate practice with actual patients, though I dare say he'd do better now than I would have thought even a year ago." Edward nodded his agreement.

"Why is that, do you think?" Fred asked curiously.

"I've spent quite a bit of time with humans, going to school over and over through the years, but the turning point has been being near Bella fairly constantly," Edward replied. "If I can withstand her blood's influence, that siren call, the rest rather pales in comparison." He picked up our confusion right away and continued. "Her scent is particularly potent to me, more than any other human's has been in all my time as a vampire. I nearly killed her the first day we met. You two aren't old enough to have experienced that yet, but one of these years it may happen to you as well, when one human's blood will draw you in more than any other ever has."

"Oh, now, that's something to look forward to," Fred commented sarcastically. "Is that another benefit of the special diet?"

"I think so... I don't think I would have noticed so much if humans were a steady diet for me anyway. Jasper fed on humans for considerably longer than any of us and he said he never noticed a difference." Edward was silent for a moment, then laughed. "And yet, it was because of the 'special diet' that she was saved... at least I had learned some restraint. So yes, I definitely consider the special diet to have been of benefit." Carlisle smiled indulgently at him.

I mulled on that for awhile as we reached our destination and separated a bit to start the hunt. Was there a human out there like that for each of us? What did it mean? Was it love pre-destined, as Edward's match seemed to have turned out, or was it simply a tasty temptation? I didn't think I ever wanted to find love; it hurt too much to lose it.

After a few minutes, Fred and I found a promising trail, promising several wild cats a few hundred feet to the southwest. We tracked the pack of whatever it was steadily, giving ourselves over to the hunt, focused solely on our goal. As such, we did not notice when we came to the boundary of Quileute territory, though certainly we'd been warned by Jasper often enough about the treaty line. We were just that oblivious.

Unfortunately, the Quileute were not. Within seconds of us crossing over that invisible line, we were confronted with a pack of very large, very angry wolves. Worse, they seemed to focus on me in particular. Fred's eyes were likely golden enough to be taken as part of the Cullen clan and therefore excused for the moment as they concentrated on the bigger red-eyed threat, me.

We both snapped out of hunting mode, but fast, and Fred held a hand up in warning. "Our apologies! We didn't realize we strayed over the border. Please let us just return to our side, no harm done. We'll be more careful next time."

The leader growled, and a couple of the wolves moved to separate me from Fred. The larger of the two poised himself for attack, baring his teeth.

"Paul! Stop!" came a sudden cry and in an instant Edward was there, standing between me and Paul. "Paul, snap out of it! They were tracking an animal, not a human. Both of them are with us. Stand down!" The large animal relaxed his pose, though he didn't move away until the leader growled again.

"Thank you, Sam," Edward said gravely, indicating that we should back up slowly until we were all back safely on our side of the line. "Go," he breathed quietly to us, "I need to talk with Sam for a bit. Find Carlisle and stay by him; he's hunted and can supervise you now." I nodded as Fred grabbed my hand and we turned and ran back to the cover of trees, leaving Edward behind to face the pack of wolves.

Once we were out of sight of Edward and the wolves, I collapsed bonelessly to the ground, face up. "Ooohhhhhhhhhh, I thought we were done for," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. Fred carefully took a seat beside me and took both of my wrists, pulling gently.

"Bree, Bree, it's all right. For all that's holy, it's a good thing Edward can read minds... and that Alice can see the future. This family is definitely worth hanging around; we never would have made it otherwise."

I lowered my hands and looked at him warily. "Is this the proof you said you needed?"

"Yes, I would say so. I'm very grateful that Edward was there to save you. He didn't have to; he could have chalked us up for a loss. But the fact that he's still with them now, explaining about us, says volumes to me."

"Well, while I could wish that it didn't take almost losing my – life, to make you see... I'm glad then," I answered. "I have to admit I've grown accustomed to the thought of having a real family and not having to be afraid all the time."

"I could get used to that, too," he said solemnly, and then broke into a winning smile. "C'mon, I'm thirsty. Let's go find Carlisle and get to hunting, shall we? We can get all sappy later, when we tell the family that they're stuck with us now."

I laughed, and sprang to my feet. "Race you!" I sprinted away before he even got to his feet.

~xXx~xXx~

There were more meetings over the course of the summer, as Bella came often to see Alice and Esme for wedding planning. Fred and I continued to hold our breath on one side of the window, while Edward translated our side of the conversation. Finally, after several more meetings behind glass, it was time for Fred and me to deal with Bella face-to-face...

~xXx~xXx~

**And here I'm going to let it stay for a bit... not quite a cliffie, but you know what to expect for next time...**


End file.
